Would You Like Fries With That?
by Shipping Goddess
Summary: AU. No demons or Hellmouth. B/F. Buffy works at a fast food joint Faith frequents. Seems someone might be in it for more than just the quality food. Many more chapters to come. Live for feedback.
1. Chapter 1

"Dammit, Summers, I told you to keep your dining room clean. Get out there and do your job before you lose it," Snyder said to Buffy under his breath, though he somehow managed to make it sound like a shout.

Buffy looked out at the empty tables and barely managed to keep from rolling her eyes at him. She forced a smile and tried to sound chipper, lest her tiny, angry manager found an actual reason to fire her. "Sorry, sir. I guess I forgot. I'm on it."

The truth was, Buffy hadn't forgotten, she was just distracted by her less-than-appropriate thoughts of a certain gorgeous regular. Faith visited the restaurant pretty much every night… Which had absolutely nothing to do with Buffy requesting to work dinner shifts… Okay, so maybe it had everything to do.

Buffy grabbed a bottle of table cleaner and a towel and walked toward the ocean of mostly empty tables. No customers meant no messes, but Buffy would dutifully pretend every single table in the joint was filthy if it meant getting away from Snyder for a while.

Tonight, Faith was sitting in a booth by herself, reading a comic book and listening to music through headphones. She was tapping her fingernails on the table to the beat of whatever she was listening to, occasionally taking breaks to pick up and munch on a fry. She was wearing typical ripped jean short-shorts and a red skin-tight cami that really _reeaaalllly_ showed off how toned she was. Hence the less-than-appropriate nature of Buffy's thoughts.

Buffy had moved to the table across from Faith and suddenly realized she'd been staring at the girl. She quickly looked down at the table she was supposedly cleaning, swiping her towel at non-existent crumbs for added measure. When Buffy looked up again, she was surprised to find a pair of stunning brown eyes aimed at her and a pair of smirking red lips to match. Buffy self-consciously looked away and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, but by the time she looked back to meet those brown eyes again, they were already focused on something of apparent interest in the comic book sitting on the table.

"Stupid Buffy, she doesn't even know you exist. You're just another fast food guy to her," Buffy mentally reprimanded herself. She turned away and contemplated restocking the already full condiment stand just to drag out her time away from Snyder's nasty attitude and breath to match.

"Good idea," she decided. It was just a happy coincidence that the time-burning task would also let her subtly stare at a certain sole patron for a few more minutes.


	2. Chapter 2

Faith stayed at the restaurant until it was almost time for Buffy to clock out. Buffy was sent out one more final time to clean the dining room, in spite of the fact that only a handful of people besides Faith had come in that night. Buffy didn't mind the lack of patronage though; it gave her more time to focus on what she had deemed her main priority: finding out something about the mysterious, oh-so-hot Faith. How would she go about doing it, though?

Buffy was still pondering this thought when Faith got up to leave. Faith turned around when she got to the door and faced Buffy. She smiled and waved. "See ya later, Buffy." She had a way of making every smile look like a smirk.

Buffy blushed a little and smiled. "Bye, Faith. See ya tomorrow?"

Faith gave a little laugh and shrug. "I'm that predictable, eh? We'll see." She winked at Buffy and gave a little wave again. Buffy blushed again and returned the wave and Faith walked out. Buffy turned around to go back to her work. She was unpleasantly surprised to find Snyder's finger almost stabbing her in the eye.

"What the hell was that, Summers? 'See ya tomorrow!'" Snyder mocked in a high-pitched squeak that was somehow even more annoying than his normal voice. "She's not your _friend_, Summers. She's your _customer_. I work very hard to maintain the level of professionalism this restaurant is known for. Repeat after me: Have a good night, ma'am."

Buffy was staring at Snyder with all the interest of a kid who just got socks for Christmas. She somehow managed to swallow down her revulsion from the stench of his breath and choke out, "Have a good night, ma'am."

"Better," Snyder said. He turned around and walked back toward the coat rack in the break room, muttering something under his breath about professionalism and teenagers today.

Buffy rolled her eyes and as soon as he was out of earshot said, "This restaurant is known for professionalism? Right, and I'm known for my flawless school record. God, what an ass."

"I don't disagree with you." A voice called out from right behind her, surprising her.

"God, Xander! You scared me!" Buffy said, smiling as she turned to face her friend.

"Sorry, Buff," he said with a grin. He raised his hands in the air in penance. "But your chariot awaits." He pointed out the window toward his hand-me-down van. Willow poked her head out the window just then, grinning, and waved at them.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming," Buffy teased, waving back at Willow. "So, what's the line-up for tonight?" She asked Xander as she walked behind the counter to clock out.

"Well, I figured we'd run through the classics tonight. You know, start with a bone-chilling showing of _Draaaculaaaaa_!" He dragged out the word in a corny Translyvanian accent before continuing on. "Then I figured we'd move on to the terrifying, age-old classic, _Frankenstein_." Xander held his arms out in front of him and groaned in mock of the monster as he followed Buffy toward the counter. "And then we'll finish out the night with the fantastic, slightly-less-than-family-friendly Rocky Horror Picture Show, as per usual." He started to do his clumsy, off-beat version the Time Warp dance, making Buffy laugh, but then he saw Snyder walking back toward the front and quickly switched to his "professionalism" mode. He stood up straighter and saluted the small, unpleasant man.

Snyder walked by them, glaring, but without saying anything. He looked out at the dining room, distastefully. Buffy waited for the snarky remark that was sure to follow. To her surprise, he didn't comment and walked out of the restaurant.

"Have a good night, ma'am!" Xander cheerfully called after Snyder with a cartoony grin and wave, just as the door closed. Buffy cracked up and playfully smacked Xander on the shoulder.

"Let's blow this joint!" Buffy called as she walked back to grab her purse from the break room. "See ya, Amy!" Buffy called out to her co-worker as she and Xander headed for the exit.

"Later, Ames!" Xander called.

"Later, guys." Amy said over her shoulder as she handed something out the drive-thru window.

Just before Buffy reached the door, something caught her eye. "Oh, shoot. Go ahead, I'll be out in a sec, Xand," she said, turning back.

"Alright, but hurry up. We've only got all night," Xander teased as he headed for his van. Buffy walked over to the booth where Faith had been sitting earlier and picked a rather worn comic book up from the floor under the table. She figured it must have fallen from the small stack of comic books the girl had brought with her and she'd forgotten it.

"I'd better make sure this stays safe and sound until Faith gets it back," Buffy justified taking the book aloud to herself, carefully tucking it into her purse. Then she headed out toward Xander's van and to a night filled with corny movies and popcorn with her two best friends.


	3. Chapter 3

Buffy woke up the next morning to the sound of a loud crash. She hopped up out of the chair she'd slept in and saw Xander lying in a heap on the floor about a foot from the couch, cradling his arm to his chest. His face flushed when he noticed that both Willow and Buffy were looking at him, concerned.

"You okay, Xand?" Willow asked him, rubbing her eyes.

"I'm good… Just admiring the craftsmanship of this floor," Xander said, clumsily climbing up to a standing position. "Yessirree, this is some quality flooring indeed. Never have to worry about… Uh... Crappy floor stuff happening in here, nope."

"Thats… Good," Buffy said, trying and failing to suppress a giggle. Willow joined in after a moment, and soon all three of them were cracking up. After they'd recovered from their fit of laughter, they fell onto the couch and Xander's stomach growled.

"Okay, but seriously ladies. The Xan-man needs some breakfasty goodies to fill his manly belly… And distract from his traditional early morning falling-off-the-couch type shenanigans," Xander said. "I'm feeling pancakes."

Buffy nodded eagerly. "Of the funny-shaped kind?"

"There are other kinds?" Willow asked, in mock disbelief.

"Fine, fine. Mock my lack of culinary finesse if you must, but I happen to think the funny-shaped pancake holds a certain sort of dignity that other, more regular-shaped breakfast foods lack," Xander said as he walked toward the kitchen of the Summers' house.

The girls could hear the sound of cabinets opening and pans being dragged out. Soon the delicious sizzling sound of bacon cooking reached their ears.

"Now this is the life," Willow said as she stretched out on the couch.

"Oh yeah. Having a manservant around sure is nice," Buffy joked. "Five bucks says the bacon is burnt."

"Hmm…" Willow said thoughtfully. "I think it's more of a burnt eggs kind of morning."

"You're so on," Buffy replied, closing her eyes and letting the delicious scents of cooking food envelope her. The girls sat in comfortable silence together for a few minutes until Xander's head popped into sight from the kitchen doorway.

"Hot and ready. Come and get it!" He called out.

The girls got up and made their way to the kitchen, curious to see which of them had just made five bucks. When they walked in, they were slightly surprised to find that nothing had been burnt. They made their plates and sat down at the kitchen island to eat.

"Nice work, Xand," Willow congratulated the chef between bites.

"Yeah, super tasty," Buffy agreed, though it was hard to understand her with her mouth full.

"Aw shucks, thanks ladies," Xander took a little bow in his chair. "So what's the plan for today?"

"Work like always," Buffy answered, sounding far from excited. "But not until tonight so I'm up for whatev-"

Her face scrunched up as she caught a whiff of something nasty. Willow's face followed suit shortly thereafter. She pinched her nose to ward off the offending odor.

"Ugh, Xander!" Willow nasally cast the blame.

"What?" He cried, looking cluelessly alarmed. "I didn't do it!"

"No, you left the burner on under the eggs again!" She clarified, walking over to the stove to cut off the power supply to the offending odor.

"Uh-oh… Sorry, ladies…" Xander apologized, looking sheepish. "Who won the bet this time?" He asked, quite aware of the running joke between his friends.

"Ooh! I had eggs!" Willow remembered excitedly. "Miss Summers, I believe you owe me a whopping five dollars." Willow stuck her hand out toward Buffy and wiggled her fingers, waiting to catch the bill.

Buffy raised an eyebrow at her redheaded friend. "My wallet's in my purse, on the floor by the door."

Willow jumped up out of her chair excitedly and rushed into the living room to collect her winnings. As soon as the coast was clear, Buffy dumped the pancakes off Willow's plate and added them to her own pile. She eyed her prize hungrily before digging in as Willow walked back into the kitchen holding her own prize in the air above her head and doing an awkward little victory dance.

Willow noticed her missing pancakes and rolled her eyes at her friend. "Hey Buff I didn't know you were into comic books."

"Huh?" Buffy asked, with her mouth full. "What are you talking about, Will?"

"I saw a comic book in your bag just now," Willow explained. Confusion clouded Buffy's face for a moment before she remembered finding Faith's comic book at the Doublemeat Palace the night before. "Don't even tell me you don't know how it got there either, missy." She added teasingly.

"Hey relax Wills, maybe Buff was just holding it for a friend, right?" Xander joked. "Not that I'd have anything against Buffy coming out of the comic book closet. It'd be nice to have someone to debate with over the finer details of super-" Buffy cut him off before he could get any farther into the uncharted territories of nerddom.

"Actually, yes," she replied. "I'm holding it for… Someone. A friend."


	4. Chapter 4

Later that night, Buffy arrived at the Doublemeat Palace a few minutes before she was due to clock in. She was feeling slightly more enthusiastic than usual due to the extreme absence of Snyder's car in the parking lot. Snyder almost always stayed late to work through dinner shift, so they must have been empty all day. Buffy sometimes wondered how they even managed to stay open.

She walked into the restaurant and was glad to see Amy was working drive-thru again. That meant Buffy would be working the register, which would make it much easier to make excuses to go out to the dining room in case a certain regular happened to show up.

Buffy clocked in and took her position behind the counter, fully prepared to stand there and do nothing all night. Her guess was not far from the the truth; it took over half an hour for even one customer to come in. Buffy was bored. She wondered how Amy was managing not to lose her mind just standing there. She walked over to investigate and saw that she was reading. Books weren't really Buffy's thing but she figured she could pass the time flipping through Faith's comic book. It was past the time Faith usually came in so Buffy figured she must've had other plans.

Buffy walked into the break room to get the comic book from her purse, but just before she grabbed it, she heard a nasal voice from behind her. "I know Snyder's not here, but as a responsible employee, I'll be obligated to tell him if you neglect your duties."

"Andrew," Buffy acknowledged his presence, internally cringing. Sometimes she really couldn't stand that kid. "Thanks for the warning but in case you haven't noticed, there aren't any customers and since my job is to serve customers…" Buffy trailed off pointedly and turned around to fish out the comic book once more.

"Yes, I realize that but have you completed your nightly cleaning list? I haven't seen you leave your station yet," he said.

"So what, now you're staking me out? As a matter of fact, no I haven't but I still have all night and judging by the customer flow I don't see any major distractions occurring." Buffy knew she was being kind of harsh but she had been irritated even before he had showed up. She'd been looking forward to returning Faith's comic book all day but the girl was nowhere to be seen, and Buffy so did not need this little dweeb breathing down her neck all night.

"Better safe than sorry. I would recommend starting on it now," he advised. "I've already completed my list so now I'm free to do as I please, within company policy of course. I'm taking my break now. It's just too bad you can't join me."

"Duly noted," she said, her tone clipped. Ew. As if she would go on break with him anyway. No thanks. "Have fun on your break," she said, waving, trying to get him out of her hair as soon as possible.

"I will" he informed her. "I'm going to the comic book shop to pre-order the newest collector's edition Marvel boxset. It's supposed to be the most comprehensive collection yet with never before seen artwork."

"Well then you'd better hurry after it," she encouraged him to leave.

"You're right," he realized, eyes widening. "Who knows how long the waiting list is by now! I mean it's been available for pre-order all day! Oh no, I've got to go." And with that, he turned and ran out the restaurant door.

Buffy sighed in relief, glad to be relieved of his presence. The worm _did_ have a point though, she figured. She might as well get her cleaning out of the way now. Heck, if she finished that now, they might even be able to close a little early. She grudgingly walked over to the cleaning supplies and picked up the bathroom cleaner.

At least it won't be too bad, she told herself. No customers means no messes, right? And since Snyder's not here, I can even listen to music while I clean. Still, she dreaded opening the restroom door. She pushed through the resentment for her job and began methodically cleaning the stalls, bopping her head along to the beat of the music. She finished the task in a matter of minutes and opened the door to walk back out. She was not expecting to walk straight into another person. She was really not expecting it to be Faith.


	5. Chapter 5

"Oh crap, sorry!" Buffy said. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm five-by-five," the girl answered, sounding amused. "You know, most people just wave or say hi. Full-body tackle is new."

Buffy's face flushed and she shrugged. "I like to keep people guessing. Spontaneous is my middle name."

"I get that," Faith said, then laughed. "But I guess you wouldn't know by the way I'm here every night, huh?"

"Oh, I don't mind," Buffy said. "I kind of look forward to it, actually."

"Good to know," Faith replied, raising an eyebrow.

"But hey, maybe you're not so predictable after all. You were later than usual today," Buffy pointed out, realizing instantly how quasi-stalkery it made her sound.

"Ah, you were paying attention," Faith smirked. "Yeah, I was gonna try something new tonight but something here just calls to me."

"The quality food?" Buffy offered.

Faith chuckled and looked pointedly at Buffy. "Or maybe I just like the company."

Buffy blushed again. "Well maybe the company likes you, too."

"I'll keep that in mind," Faith said. "Oh by the way, have you seen a comic book laying around?"

"Actually, yeah," Buffy said. "I picked it up off the floor and it's in my purse. I can go get it for you right now."

"Thanks," Faith said, sounding relieved. Buffy made her way to the break room and Faith waited by the front counter. A few minutes later, Buffy made her way back, frowning.

"I'm sorry, Faith. I guess it fell out of my bag in my car, and I can't go get it until I clock out." Buffy said genuinely apologetic, noting that Faith's expression faltered a little.

"No worries," Faith said. "You mind if I hang around until you get off?"

"Not at all!" Buffy replied. "It's been super boring around here and I wouldn't mind someone interesting to talk to."

"Ouch," Amy interjected dryly.

"Guess I can handle that," Faith said with a wink. "So since I'm gonna be here for a while, let me hit you up for some food."

"The regular?" Buffy asked, already typing it in on her register.

Faith chuckled. "I swear I'm spontaneous sometimes."

"I'm not so sure I believe you," Buffy said. "You might just have to prove it."

"Oh?" Faith asked, raising an eyebrow curiously. "And how should I do that?"

"You know what spontaneous means, right?" Buffy asked deadpan.

"Oh yeah," Faith laughed and handed Buffy the money for her dinner. "I'll figure something out."

"We'll see," Buffy teased. Faith stuck her tongue out and hopped up to sit cross-legged on the counter. She turned so she could lean against the wall and face Buffy.

"You're not supposed to do that," Amy said, without looking up from her book.

"Sorry," Faith said, though she didn't move from her position. She whispered to Buffy, "She's a bucket of fun, right?"

Buffy laughed. "Amy's alright. Andrew's the real master of the fun dungeon around here. If he comes back and sees you there, his head might actually explode."

Faith laughed. "Let's hope he does then."

Buffy brought Faith's food to the counter and set it on a tray beside the girl. "Bon appetit," she said wryly.

"Thanks!" Faith said, enthusiastically biting into her burger. "Oh, hey, wanna bite?" She offered the sandwich to Buffy.

"I'm good but thanks," Buffy said, quite aware of the quality of the food. But still, something about the casual way she was willing to share food with someone she hardly knew was impressive. Faith's relaxed attitude toward life in general appealed to Buffy.

"Fair enough," Faith said with a shrug. "Let's play a game."

"Like what?" Buffy asked.

"We both get four questions to ask each other and you have to answer honestly. You can skip answering one but if you do, you have to do a dare," Faith decided.

"Oddly specific, but alright. I'm game," Buffy said. This was the perfect way to learn more about Faith!

"Okay… Do you have a nickname?" Faith asked.

"Not really. Sometimes my friends call me Buff. What's your last name?" Buffy asked in return.

"Lehane. What's your favorite place around here?"

"Easy. The Bronze," Buffy answered. "Tell me one of your dreams."

"Not a question but alright," Faith smirked. "When I was a kid I always wanted to be an MMA fighter."

"If you two are going to talk, at least ask interesting questions," Amy interjected, looking up from her book briefly to check the time.

"Alright," Faith said. "What's the most embarrassing thing that's ever happened to you, Miss Summers?"

"Well I accidentally burned down my school's gym one time. Does that count?" Buffy asked.

"Wait, wait, what?!" Faith exclaimed. "You're kidding."

"Nope. There was a science fair on the same day as cheer practice and I tripped and knocked over a kid's bunsen burner thing and it set his project and then the whole table on fire. It was this whole big thing…" Buffy shuddered at the memory, then added. "Nobody got hurt though."

"Oh my God, Buffy, that's perfect," Faith laughed loudly.

"I guess it is kind of funny," Buffy said, an embarrassed smile on her face. "So my turn… What's your biggest fear?"

Faith chewed on a fry thoughtfully before answering. "Not mattering." Her face turned serious for a moment, but then she was back to smiling at Buffy just as quickly. "My turn. What are your plans tonight after you get out of here?"

"Probably something involving TV and ice cream, but nothing too concrete," Buffy replied. "Why do you ask?"

"That counts as your last question," Faith informed Buffy, who replied with a shrug. "Alright, I was just making sure you knew. Anyway, I was wondering if you'd wanna go to the Bronze with me tonight."

"Really? Sure!" Buffy answered a little too quickly. "I mean, if you want to."

"I wouldn't have asked if I didn't want to," Faith said with a smirk.

"Right," Buffy nervously laughed. Was this even really happening? "I'll, uh, have to go home and change out of my work clothes first."

"Fine by me," Faith said. "Want me to tag along or meet you there?"

There was that casual attitude toward life again. Buffy was finding it harder to contain her enthusiasm. "Whatever you want to do is fine by me," Buffy said.

"If it's cool I'll just roll with you. The Bronze is kind of a long walk from here," Faith said. "I don't have anything against exercise, but walking across town in the dark just doesn't scream 'fun' to me."

"Okay, sure!" Buffy said, smiling widely. "I get off at midnight."

Several hours passed of the girls talking, interlaced with occasional comments from Andrew or Amy before Buffy clocked out. Andrew came back at some point, but he didn't react as Buffy had expected him to. He was too excited about making it to the comic book shop on time to pay attention to much anything or anyone else.

"Ready to go, Faith?" Buffy asked once the three employees were all done with the closing procedures and the clock hit midnight.

"Hell yeah," Faith said, already getting up to head for the door. "Later," she said to Amy and Andrew.

"Bye Faith. Bye Buffy. Bye Amy," Andrew called as he quickly walked across the parking lot toward his car.

"Good night," Amy said, as she headed for her own car.

"See ya, guys!" Buffy called over her shoulder as she and Faith walked toward Buffy's car.

"Alright! This is gonna be fun!" Faith said, excitedly.


	6. Chapter 6

_*A/N: Google Drive was acting up when I posted ch 5. I have fixed a major typo but in case you don't catch it, Faith asked Buffy to go to the Bronze with her after she got off of work… And here we set our scene… Enjoy*_

* * *

The girls climbed into the car and Faith spotted her comic book between the passenger seat and the console. "Oh hey, cool. I almost forgot," she said, reaching for it. Buffy smiled in response and turned her key in the ignition.

As soon as the car started, the radio started blaring Lovefool by the Cardigans. Her face turned crimson and she mashed the buttons on the radio in a futile attempt to change the song before Faith heard it. Faith somehow didn't strike Buffy as a Cardigans groupie.

"I don't even like that song. I always change the station when it comes on the radio," Buffy said in an attempt to save face once she had managed to silence the offending machine. Then to her dismay, a CD bearing the title Lovefool in bright letters popped out of the player. Buffy looked over to see Faith smirking at her with one eyebrow raised. "Uh... I was holding it for a friend?" She offered weakly.

Faith's smirk grew into a grin and she burst out laughing at the mortified expression on Buffy's face. "Hey, I'm only rethinking hanging out with you a little," she teased. "You can't help it if you have horrible taste in music."

Buffy blushed again and she reached over Faith to grab her CD case from the glove compartment. "It's not all bad, I swear," she said, offering the item to Faith. "See if you can find something you like."

"Oh, I have," Faith said, smirking. "She has crappy taste in music though. Bet I can fix that easy with a little time." Faith chuckled.

Faith was flipping through the CD case, so she missed Buffy's expression of surprise and excitement. A few moments later, Faith triumphantly held up a CD.

"Guess you're not a lost cause after all, B," Faith said. She put the CD in the player and turned up the volume, already drumming on the console to the beat of the rock song. The two girls spent the drive to Buffy's house singing along and laughing. Once they reached their destination, Buffy hopped out of the car and made her way to the door, with Faith in tow. She stopped once she got to the door and turned toward Faith.

"We have to be quiet," Buffy said, voice barely above a whisper. When Faith gave her a questioning look, she explained. "My mom's… sick, and she's a light sleeper. She needs what sleep she gets."

Faith's eyes widened a little and she nodded in understanding. "Gotcha. Quiet like a mouse," she said.

Buffy unlocked the door and stepped inside, Faith following close behind. "Shit," Buffy whispered. "She's sleeping on the couch. If I turn the light on, she'll wake up." Buffy paused, contemplating what to do. Faith had never been to her house before, so she would definitely need a light to find her way around… Buffy's body tensed up in response to an unexpected touch. She looked down to see Faith's hands at her hips. Her body relaxed but her heart started hammering. She was sure Faith would hear it in the quiet of the house.

"Sorry," Faith whispered, assuming Buffy had tensed up because she was uncomfortable. She didn't let go, however. "I can follow you easier like this. Let's move before Momma wakes up."

"Right," Buffy whispered, grateful her voice kept steady. Without another word, the girls quietly walked through the dark room toward the staircase. Once they got there, Faith moved one hand from Buffy's hip to hold on to the banister. Buffy tried not to feel disappointed at the loss of contact, reminding herself that Faith was just trying to follow her. Once they reached the top of the stairs, Buffy led Faith down the hall into a dark room. She turned the light on and shut the door behind them.

"So this is La Casa Buffy," Faith said, appraising the room. "Not as frilly as I expected." She walked over to Buffy's bed and flopped down. "Very nice. Bouncy. Comfortable. Good for a very specific range of activities." She smirked as she stood up and walked over to Buffy's dresser and large mirror. "Vain. I like it. Pictures of friends, very cliche." She moved to the closet and opened the doors. "Whoa, princess, think you have enough shoes?" She laughed.

"There's no such thing as enough shoes, Faith," Buffy said seriously, leaning against the door to watch as Faith methodically went through all the clothes hanging in her closet. "We're probably the same size. You can borrow something if you want." She offered.

Faith laughed and held up a pair of denim overalls in one hand and a frilly pink sweater in the other. "Thanks but I'm thinking I'll pass." She threw the offending items on the bed and continued making her way through Buffy's clothes. Buffy laughed, trying to picture Faith with her dark hair and makeup and red lipstick in either of the outfits.

"Wait, maybe I spoke too soon," she said, as she pulled out a short, black jacket and shrugged it on over her tank top. "Damn, B. This is nice," she said, enjoying the feel of the soft leather on her skin. "A girl could get used to this."

Buffy smiled at how excited Faith was. "You can have it," Buffy said. "I have another one like it. It looks better on you, anyway." It was true that the jacket fit Faith's athletic body very well.

"Whoa, you mean it?" Faith asked, eyes lighting up when Buffy nodded in return. "Kickin'! Thanks, B!"

Buffy smiled again. "I like that," she said.

"Like what?" Faith asked, confused.

"When you call me B. I like it," Buffy answered.

"Oh. Good," Faith smiled. She turned back to face the closet. She pulled out a short, black spaghetti-strapped dress and threw it at Buffy. "Wear this," she said, rifling through the closet some more. Buffy internally cringed when she saw that the dress Faith had picked was one of her least favorites. She hardly ever wore it because it fit so tight it was almost impossible to put on.

"Er, okay," Buffy said hesitantly. She walked over to pick the dress up off the bed and walked toward the door.

"Hey, where ya going?" Faith asked.

"Bathroom," Buffy replied. "So I can change."

"What, you get stage fright? I promise I won't look," Faith said, smirking.

"Uh, okay," Buffy said, unsure. She walked over to the corner furthest from Faith, effectively using the bed as a blockade.

_I can't change in front of her, oh my God, _Buffy thought. _If she sees me, it'll be all weird._ _But I don't want it to be weird because I didn't change in front of her… And she said she won't look… Plus I'm probably going to need help squeezing into this dress..._ Buffy rationalized. _Okay, I'll just double check that she's turned around._

With a glance to make sure Faith was still preoccupied at the closet, Buffy turned her back to Faith and slid her work shirt off. She threw it in the hamper beside her bed and peeked over her shoulder to make sure Faith wasn't looking. She breathed in deep and kicked her pants in the hamper too. She tried to hurry in sliding the dress on, but because it was so tight, it took her a good couple of minutes. She turned around to face Faith once she was sure she had it on right.

"Zip me?" she asked.

"Of course," Faith said, relinquishing the item of clothing she had been examining. She grabbed a pair of strappy black heels from the floor of the closet and walked over to the bed. She hopped up on it and walked across the bed toward Buffy. She bounced down onto her knees so they were face to face and thrust the shoes toward the girl. She grinned and batted her lashes.

"There was an easier way to do that," Buffy said, laughing as she slid the heels on.

"I know," Faith said with a shrug. She motioned with her hand for Buffy to spin around. Buffy obliged and pulled her hair to the side and over her shoulder to avoid any hair-related crises. Faith found herself staring at the exposed skin of Buffy's back. She lightly ran her fingertips from Buffy's neck down to the base of her spine and felt the girl shiver in response. Faith smirked and zipped the dress. "There. All done up and ready to party," she said.

"Thanks," Buffy said, turning to face her friend.

"No worries. But damn girl, you look good," Faith said, admiring the way the dress hugged Buffy's curves. Buffy ducked her head and blushed at the compliment.

"I can't actually breathe," Buffy admitted.

"I wouldn't worry about it too much," Faith said, smirking. "'Cause in that dress, you're definitely gonna get some mouth-to-mouth."

Buffy rolled her eyes. "Shut up," she said, playfully punching Faith's arm. "I'm going to go finish getting ready. Make yourself at home."

"Can do," Faith replied, flopping down on Buffy's bed and grabbing a magazine off the nightstand.

A few minutes later, Buffy's voice came from by the door. "Ready?" Faith lowered the magazine to see the blonde girl leaning on the door frame, makeup applied and hair hanging down in loose waves. She took a moment to let the image of Buffy sink in before she answered with a smile.

"Born ready, B. Let's party!"


	7. Chapter 7

The ride to the Bronze went much like ride to Buffy's house, sans embarrassing musical mishaps. When the girls arrived at the club, they were pleasantly surprised to find that the line in was abnormally short for a Saturday night.

"Looks like all the teenyboppers went home early," Faith said as they made their way toward the doors of the club.

Buffy nodded in agreement. "Hey, more party for us," she said.

"I ain't complainin'," Faith said, grinning. "By the way, did I happen to mention that Party is my middle name?"

Buffy laughed. "I bet that got you a bunch of great nicknames in high school," she said sarcastically.

Faith smiled ruefully. "Maybe if I'd stuck around longer it would have." She looked at her feet for a second before looking back up. She gave Buffy a lopsided smile, mentally shrugging off the sad memories.

Buffy's chest ached at the sight of Faith trying to pretend like everything was fine when obviously something was bothering her. She reached out and touched Faith's arm. "Hey, I… I'm sorry. Whatever happened, that's your story, but I'm here for you."

Faith smiled. "Thanks, B." She looked away awkwardly, not used to people caring. "Hey look, line's gone. Let's move." She said, instantly cheered out of her mental funk by the prospect of dancing and drinks.

"All right!" Buffy said, excitedly.

Once the girls were inside, Faith led Buffy in a beeline to the bar. They managed to grab a pair of empty bar stools and after a few rounds of drinks, Faith asked, "Wanna see a fun trick?" Her eyes twinkled mischievously.

"Maybe?" Buffy replied, uncertain. Faith laughed and pointed at a sort of scruffy looking guy who looked to be about their age sitting at a table on the other side of the bar. He was trying to be covert, watching them out of the corner of his eye.

"Betcha a shiny nickel I can get Beardy to buy our next round of drinks," she said.

Buffy laughed. "You're on." Honestly, she just wanted to see what was going on in Faith's mind. Maybe she knew the guy from somewhere.

Faith smirked and scooted onto the edge of her stool so she was closer to Buffy. She threw her arm over the blonde's shoulders and leaned in close. She whispered softly into her ear, "All guys like him have the same weakness."

Buffy hoped Faith couldn't hear her heart pounding from her closeness. "Oh?" She asked, praying her voice wouldn't break. Faith nodded slowly and turned Buffy's head so they were face to face, inches apart. She moved her mouth closer to Buffy's ear so she could hear her over the music. Her breath was warm on Buffy's cheek.

"Two hot girls sitting this close, one wearing a tight, little dress. Might as well be Kryptonite." As she spoke, Faith angled her head so her lips were again centimeters from Buffy's. The blonde was statue still, eyebrows raised and a hot flush creeping up her neck. Faith smiled. "Imagine if we-" Right at that moment, Faith was interrupted by the bartender clearing his throat awkwardly.

He jerked his thumb toward Beardy and said, "That fella said your next drinks're on him. What'll ya be havin'?"

Faith smirked at Buffy, batted her lashes at Beardy, and said to the bartender, "A Horny Bull for me and a Hymen Ripper for the lady, yeah?" Buffy shrugged. She wasn't really on the up-and-up with drinks. All she knew was they had some weirdass names. Plus Buffy was still a little stuck on the imagining Faith had mentioned.

A few minutes later, the bartender placed their drinks in front of them. Buffy looked skeptically at the concoction in front of her until Faith poked her side. "Come on, B. Trust me, you'll like it. Have I ever steered you wrong?" Buffy laughed and tried a sip of her drink, smiling as the fruity flavors exploded on her tastebuds. "Told ya so!" Faith said excitedly.

As soon as they finished their drinks, Faith grabbed Buffy's arm and said a bit over-enthusiastically, "Let's dance!"


End file.
